parents
by blankperiod
Summary: Sarada Uchiha was the name of the new journey for Sasuke and Sakura. [sasuke/sakura,sarada]


**Note:**Originally written for Sarada's birthday but oh well.

Kishi wanted to write this scene in Gaiden but he dropped that idea due to the dinner scene. Well don't worry Kishi, I gotchu, and if Kishi can create drama for spectacles (really) I can surely create some emotional stress for this.

[This was previously my first work posted on AO3,so to some readers, it might be known]

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Sakura had teared up when she had seen her for the first time. Their little bundle of joy. She had given birth to a baby girl, Sarada. Sarada Uchiha.

She didn't know what was more enthralling. The feeling that she was a mother now, a mother to a little child, who would look up to her, to them. Or seeing Sasuke. How Sasuke Uchiha was reduced to an almost teared up mess when Sakura's water broke.

The future of the Uchiha, he had said.

When Karin had said it was a girl, and cut off the umbilical cord, Sasuke was right beside her. Karin's hands were stained with blood, but Sakura couldn't look anywhere else. Not into Sasuke's eyes.

She had tightly shut her eyes, and faced towards Karin. Sasuke had held her left hand throughout the whole process, yet she could feel his hands shake a little when Karin had announced it was a baby Karin first took her, Sarada cried loudly.

Sakura knew Sasuke wouldn't be the type of a person who would discriminate between a male and a female child. He wasn't, yet the nagging thought of 'clan restoration' kept tugging at the darkest corners of her mind. What if, what if he wasn't happy, because it was a girl? And not a boy who could keep up the clan legacy? What if...

All this was forgotten and left at the deep pitches of her mind when Karin returned with a cleaned Sarada, who had yet to open her eyes. Black hair lightly crowned her head, dark lashes lined her eyes. Sakura smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks, and she sat up for Karin to transfer Sarada to her. Her arms felt weak, her fists fragile; not feeling strong enough to support their daughter.

The same hands that had healed so many people, the same fists who had punched a goddess on her head,were numb for a few seconds. Sarada had calmed down a bit by then,emitting only occasional whimpers. She seemed to be a very calm child.

"I am going to leave you guys to it. Sakura you know when to call me, and Sasuke you know you can't stay here, make sure Sakura has plenty of rest." Karin said as she arranged the used medical equipments in a package to discard them.

"Hn." Sasuke's reply was as curt as always.

Karin threw one last look at Sasuke, and another at Sakura cradling their child. She realized they were family now, bounded by love, and a small smile took over her face. She squeezed Sakura's shoulders one last time, when Sakura looked up to give her a tired smile and said " Thank you Karin, we didn't know where to go, and this would have been impossible without you"

Karin kept the smile on her face and proceeded to say "It's alright, just don't produce babies on the road again!" and quickly turned around and walking out of the room while Sakura's small laughter rang in her ears.

Sasuke was standing at the corner of the room; he was fidgeting. Sakura could feel the fluctuation of his chakra. Was he really mad?

She looked up from Sarada to hadn't even looked at her, much less wanted to take her in his arms. He wasn't even physically close.

"Sasuke-kun?"

His head shot upwards so fast,as if he was electrocuted.

"Sakura."

Fresh tears gathered in her eyes. Damn, those maternal hormones were not helping either. On her lap, Sarada began to stir. Sasuke stared at her with his mismatched eyes.

"Sasuke-kun, are you..." she sniffed, determined to keep the tears at bay, "Are you...not happy?"

She couldn't hold his gaze any longer. She looked down at Sarada, her face a life that brought so much happiness to her, a light that reached every corner of her soul, but she failed to make Sasuke feel the same. The tears broke through.

Something snapped in Sasuke then. He had promised to never make Sakura cry again. He had promised himself, but as always Sakura was crying yet again, as always he had fucked up.

He was leaning against the damp wall of Orochimaru's hideout one second and the next moment he was beside Sakura, who held his daughter, as tear blotches began to form on Sarada's navy blue blanket.

"Sakura.. I-" he was at a loss of words.

It wasn't that he was not happy. He was more than just happy. He felt emotions course through his veins. For the first time ever since he had let Sakura in his life as his light, he had felt the warmth she could provide him. He felt the warmth , the glow, his future radiate in the form of Sarada.

However in the darkest places of Sasuke's mind he was scared. He was lost. He didn't know what to do. He had contributed to make a life. The same Sasuke whose lifelong dream was to kill his brother, to avenge his clan, kill everybody close to him, even Sakura for the sake of his goals. A man who killed many was scared to hold a new life in his hands. Ironic wasn't it?

Sakura shifted Sarada to her left shoulder and faced Sasuke where he stood to her right. She couldn't keep crying. She had to talk this through with her husband.

"Sasuke-kun , I am sorry," she began in a low whisper, as her fingers trembled. She didn't know what else to do.

"Sakura don't. I..." Sasuke interrupted.

He didn't wait for her to continue or didn't say anything further, because he couldn't find the correct words. He snaked his single arm around her figure, entrapping both mother and daughter in his embrace. " I am sorry,Sakura. I was just, I-"

She felt wet hot tears on her thin dress that Karin had given to her when she was in labour, for something to change into. Sasuke was crying.

And suddenly she felt her heart break all over again. She felt selfish. How could she even think so lowly of Sasuke? How could she?

She failed to understand for a moment why Sasuke was acting like that. And she had started to blame him, jumping to conclusions. Now she was to be blamed. Even though it had been years, even though she had forgiven him, even after everything, he was just a human inside. A man who once had no one.

Sasuke looked up, the lone black eye showing some remnants of tears ,while the Rinnegan remained obscured from Sakura's vision. Sakura tearfully smiled at him. She had never felt so much love before for the man in front of her.

Sasuke knew. Sasuke knew Sakura understood. After all she had always understood him better than anyone else, probably sometimes more than he did himself.

He rubbed off his tears using the cloak,and smiled at Sakura. He met her eyes. The eyes that held his world.

Or, maybe a half of his world, as Sarada started to peek through her lashes for the first time.

She had his eyes. Dark, seamless eyes. However, except for her eyes and her hair, she resembled Sakura.

Sakura quickly shifted her attention from him to the child in her arms then. In a moment, she reached her arms up and started crying.

Sakura gently cradled her, but there was no end to Sarada's crying. Sasuke stood there watching the whole scene, and he wondered, what he had done to witness that in front of his eyes. His wife, with his daughter.

Sakura looked at Sasuke. Whatever the circumstances she was still new to this job. And she didn't know what to do. Plus body felt heavy and she was exhausted.

"Sasuke-kun, will you?" She offered Sarada to Sasuke.

Sasuke was lost again. Could he hold something so delicate in his arms? Could manage that? He had only one arm, and although he could effortlessly battle like that, could he hold the baby with just one arm?

Sakura sensed his worries again before he needed to speak out. She explained, "Just surround her with your arm here, and I'll support her head. Come, sit down." she said as she moved and made space for him to sit on the makeshift bed.

He slowly accommodated his arm around her, as Sakura dropped Sarada on his lap,and held her by her head. Sasuke looked down on his lap. The same lap that had been stained with blood of countless shinobis and criminals, held a powerful life force. A light. A warmth. If Sakura was his spring sunshine, Sarada would be the single hope, the warmth after a terrible snowstorm.

Sasuke kept quiet for several minutes. Observing. Thinking. All the while Sakura stared at him, with eyes full of love and admiration. He then looked up to Sakura and whispered, "Sakura, thank you.", and smiled at his wife.

Even though she still had been rosy from the overall situation and her crying, a blush still adorned her cheeks. She could never not blush at him.

Sasuke slowly balanced Sarada on his lap, who by now had quieted down, and pressed two fingers on Sakura's forehead, who was still recovering from that blush. Her hands immediately occupied the spot Sasuke had tapped, and she blushed even more.

Sasuke then proceeded to tap his little girl on her forehead, which probably did more bad than good, because like him, Sarada didn't like disturbances in her sleep and she wailed out again.

And now Sasuke was embarrassed. His gesture of affection was denied by his too in front of Sakura, his wife.

Meanwhile Sakura had recovered from her blushing (itwas her husband for crying out loud, silly Sakura!) and watched the whole ordeal. And she couldn't help but laugh.

Sasuke's eyes had widened and looked helpless as he gazed at her. Sakura got up from her position, kissed her husband's cheek and gently took Sarada from him.

"It's okay Sasuke-kun, she is hungry. I am going to feed her. Could you untie a few knots from the back of this gown?"

As Sakura started to feed Sarada after some struggle (after all it was Sakura's first time being a mother too) Sasuke sat down beside her. He felt her head drop onto his shoulder, so he turned right to kiss the top of her head. Sakura sighed happily.

_He had a family now._

Sakura and Sasuke had gazed proudly at their daughter while Sakura announced "Sarada Uchiha, the daughter of Sasuke and Sakura Uchiha. Your Mama and Papa will always love and protect 's our promise to you right Sasuke-kun?" She then turned to him and smiled.

Sasuke had never heard anything better.

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Thankyou for reading!


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